Dakdoritang is a special chicken dish to cook at home when you are craving something spicy! It is chicken that is boiled in a spicy red chili sauce along with potatoes, carrots and other vegetables (similar to Indian curry).

As the chicken cooks and reduces, the chili sauce is infused with the rich oils of the chicken and a spicy kick from the Korean chilis. The result is a spicy and tangy chicken that will have your mouth craving for more after each bite.

But don’t forget about the chili sauce! The sauce may look like it erupted from Mt. Hallasan but this is where the real umami lies. After a bite of the juicy chicken, pour a spoonful of this red marinade (as well as piece of a vegetable) over your hot sticky rice and take another bite! Whenever I eat this dish, I find myself filling up on a second bowl of rice!

Cooking tips: In the video, I used 1/3 cup of Korean red chili flakes. I would recommend using 1/4 cup and adding more later – if needed.

Dakdoritang - Spicy Korean Chicken Stew

A special dish which combines the power of Korean red chili flakes and chicken. Spicy, tasty and addictive. Make sure to pair with a bowl of rice.

Ingredients

Whole chicken - 1 (Or just use 600-800 grams of chicken thigh/drumsticks)
Potato - 2 medium-sized (each potato, size of your palm)
Onion - 1 whole
Carrot - 1/4 a whole
Spring onion - 10-inch piece
Sugar - 3 Tablespoons
Minced garlic - 1 Tablespoon
Soy sauce - 1/3 cup
Korean red chili flakes - 1/4 cup (Add a bit more later - up to 1/3 cup - if needed)
Water - 2 cups

Instructions

Prep work

Slice up a whole chicken into smaller pieces (or buy pre-cut).
Take out a large mixing bowl and place the chicken in it.
Fill the mixing bowl with water and soak the chicken in it for 30 minutes - will help remove impurities from the bones
While you wait, dice-up the potatoes, onions and carrots into small pieces. Slice spring onions into circles for garnish.

Cooking the chicken

Drain the chicken and give it a rinse under cold water. Then place in large pot (or a large frying pan). Fill the large pot with two cups of water. Then add sugar to the water.
Place pot on medium-heat and bring it up to a boil. Skim off the impurities that surface to the top of the broth. When chickens are cooked about half-way through, add-in the vegetables. Let the vegetables boil - until the potatoes turn soft.

Finishing the dish

When potatoes are soft, add garlic, soy sauce and Korean red chili flakes. Use a soup ladle and gently mix-in the three seasonings into the soup for about 1 minute.
Turn off the heat and add sprinkle spring onions on top for garnish.
Eat the dish with some hot sticky rice!

Notes

Every brand of Korean red chili flakes has slightly different spice level. I would recommend starting with 1/4 cup and adding a bit more later, if needed. (I like it real spicy - so I use 1/3 cup)
If the sauce reduces too quickly while boiling, simply add a bit of water.
See video below for more details